Women's Basketball Extends Winning Streak to three over Rust
MEMPHIS Tenn. – The University of Dallas women's basketball team (3-1) prevailed for its third win a row over Rust College (0-3) on Saturday in the Rhodes College Classic. In a featured game that witnessed five ties and nine lead changes, the Crusaders found their final switch on the scoreboard with Michelle DeCoud's (Monument, Colo.) free throw to push her squad up 47-46 in an eventual four-point victory of 53-49.
DeCoud led Dallas for the third time in four games with 17 points and recorded her third double-double of the year with 12 rebounds. She recorded 15 points in the second half, as the Crusaders responded from being outscored by five combined in the first stanza with a 35-26 advantage the final 20 minutes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team started the game with much offense by the end of the first quarter. Rust College's Jasmine Pitchford drilled a three less than ten minutes from the jump, and Dallas finally got its first points just over two minutes in on a pair of free throws from Holly Tonry (Seattle, Wash.). The Bearcats pushed their edge to seven on six straight points. This included back-to-back layups by Demetrius Bradshaw. With five and a half minutes until the first break, DeCoud etched both shots at the stripe to break the scoring streak. Dallas was down 12-8 at the final buzzer and shot 1-for-16 in this frame. That lone field goal game from Celsi Caraway (Arlington, Texas) with 51 ticks remaining.
Both teams endured a two-minute drought from 7:43 through 5:53. UD's Tonry came up on an inside field goal to move the score to a 16-12 deficit. Alanesha Bullock for Rust was the next recorded points and field goal just under six minutes. Dallas trailed 23-18 at intermission on Rhodes' neutral court.
The next two quarters favored the Crusaders in the point's column. It started with a 14-10 third quarter. DeCoud and an opposing player traded shots and Jackie Landry (Anaheim, Calif.) cut the gap to three (25-22) with 6:48 left. Jasmine Golden for the Bearcats responded with a split at the free throw line and DeCoud cut and tied the score on back-to-back field goals by the team's leading scorer. This was with 5:21 remaining and the tying shot came after the defense garnered a stop on a steal by Caraway. Tonry assisted both scores.
Dallas never does gain the lead for the first time in the tilt until at 2:39 when Caraway hits the backend of two free throws (31-30). The rookie's jumper about thirty seconds ago was the tying field goal. The Bearcats flip the lead back in their favor as three of the final four points in the quarter. Tonry's second of two free throws with 39 seconds capped the scoring that frame.
At the start of the fourth, DeCoud scores two field goals with Tonry splitting the pair of makes with her own to give UD a 6-2 swing in the first minute and a half. With a narrow three-point field goal edge, Rust swings the momentum and takes its largest advantage of the fourth (43-40) on a pair of Bradshaw free throws. The Crusaders' other double-double member of the game, Seana Stoia (Tulsa, Okla.) netted a layup with 4:21 to cut the difference to one and DeCoud put the go-ahead jumper in for a 44-43 Dallas advantage. Rust regained the lead one final moment on a trey by Golden. It was only one-of-two made trifectas in the whole game.
As mentioned above, DeCoud etched the crucial game-changing makes. Stoia had a layup with 2:07 to push the lead and a free throw by Caraway with a minute and a half left equaled a two possession game. Golden had Rust's final six points with half of them free throws, which countered for last points in that stretch for UD's opponent. Stoia and Caraway teamed up for scores via the same respective plays on their most recent results to seal a three-game winning streak. It is also the squads' first win on the campaign away from the Maher Center.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-DeCoud earned her 12th career double-double with team bests in points (17) and rebounds (12). She repeated both numbers in respective categories in the most recent outing on Tuesday. The junior shot 7-for-11 on the floor.
-Stoia also claimed her first double-double of the year with 10 points and season-high 11 boards. It is third game this winter that the forward has registered double-digit point totals.
- Caraway chipped in 10 points off the bench for the final person in a trio of double-digit performers.
- Tonry enjoyed a season-high nine points and matched that number with her assists. Dallas had 14 as a whole. The senior last put up at least this many dimes was in 2015-16 with 11 versus Schreiner University in the Maher Center.
- The Crusaders shot 34.5 percent (19-55) from the field and 0-for-15 from downtown. They were 53.8 percent (15-28) at the line. This compares to 27.9, 12.5, and 59.1 percent lines for the Bearcats.
- UD forced 26 turnovers compared to 21 by the Bearcats. This amounted to a 15-13 UD edge in points off turnovers. Second chance points (8), steals (12), and points in the paint (24) were even. Rust won the rebound battle by one (45-44).
- Dallas led by no more than four points this entire tilt. The first time that stretch of a Dallas lead occurred was with 1:28 remaining. The final score also equaled the tally.
- Rust's Bradshaw earned a game-high 23 points and was 9-of-21 on field goal makes. She also grabbed seven rebounds which ranked second on squad. Golden also snagged a double-digit total of 11 points. Megan Rayford led the team in boards with 10. Pitchford passed six-of-11 assists.
UP NEXT
Dallas wraps up the Rhodes College Classic Sunday against Westminster College. Tip-off slated for around 4 p.m.